Mars shows signs of recent activity

Carbon dioxide measurements suggest liquid water and volcanoes in past 100 million years

New evidence suggests that Mars was much more active in the relatively recent past, with volcanoes erupting and water flowing on its surface within the past 100 million years.

The findings are based on the most precise measurements ever taken of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, recorded by NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander during its five months of operation in 2008. Because carbon dioxide gas reacts strongly with both water and silicate rock, measuring the relative proportions of different

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